I don't know if it's somewhere else on our site here, but I ended up going to the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of TT to find trail descriptions and ratings, and thought it might be a good idea to have a list of what trails are planned on being a part of Cruise Moab and what their ratings are, so guys with borderline trucks like mine :D can prepare a little bit before registering...

I don't know if this is the appropriate place or if it could/should be a sticky or what Wes wants...but I guess I'll start the list...

Agreed! Golden Spike should not be referenced the same a Behind the Rocks!

Double Whammy should be rated a 3! ;) :hill: :bowdown::kevin::robbie:http://www.aspenstand.com/ptarm.gif

subzali

11-28-2007, 08:49 AM

Hey, it's what TT said for CM last year! Check out Jan/Feb 2007, pg. 56!

JMHO, I think Cliffhanger may be getting harder as time goes by, and might be worth thinking about bumping it to 4+. But then I'm biased and scared because I broke on it. True I probably should have winched earlier than I did, but still...

Uncle Ben

11-28-2007, 09:01 AM

Hey, it's what TT said for CM last year! Check out Jan/Feb 2007, pg. 56!

JMHO, I think Cliffhanger may be getting harder as time goes by, and might be worth thinking about bumping it to 4+. But then I'm biased and scared because I broke on it. True I probably should have winched earlier than I did, but still...

The ratings RS uses are what Red Rock 4 Wheelers place on trails for Easter Heep Safari.

You are being way to hard on yourself about breaking! Often the difference between a great line and a bad one is only a few inches over! The more you wheel the better you will be at looking like a hero by the lines you take! Can't teach that stuff on a computer or in a book! Takes time, patience and broken parts! :thumb: :thumb:

wesintl

11-28-2007, 10:34 AM

I'll have to fix the link on the cruise moab page. We use

Trail Ratings (http://www.rr4w.com/pageview.aspx?menu=4422&id=16364)

Hulk

11-28-2007, 02:01 PM

This is part of the overnight run again this year. I agree with the 4 rating.

Hotel Rock
Rating: 4
This trail starts and finishes South of Blanding, Utah in the vicinity of Comb Ridge, South of the Abajo Mountains. Hotel Rock is located on Baullie Mesa.

Hulk

11-28-2007, 03:25 PM

Hey, did you guys see this?

NOTE: Effective January 2008 all trail ratings will be changed to a 1 thru 10 system

wesintl

11-28-2007, 03:33 PM

that'll make it easier to understand :rolleyes:

corsair23

11-28-2007, 04:03 PM

Interesting and I'm still not sure I fully understand how they come up with ratings...

Last year I ran Porcupine Rim, Fins & Things, and Poison Spider Mesa. IMO Porcupine Rim was the tougher of the trails mainly due to the "pucker factor" in spots running along the rim on uneven, off camber, sections.

After running it on the first day I was worried what days 2 & 3 would bring being that both trails were rated 4s. Well, I enjoyed the 4 rated trails much more as I don't recall there being much in the way of pucker factor areas. Maybe the fact that they are more "technical" with some of the obstacles grants them a higher rating?

Sometimes I think for me to really enjoy offroading I'm gonna need a vehicle with an exo cage that I have absolutely no worries about rolling, denting, scratching, crushing, etc. :hill:

nakman

11-28-2007, 04:10 PM

JMHO, I think Cliffhanger may be getting harder as time goes by, and might be worth thinking about bumping it to 4+. But then I'm biased and scared because I broke on it. True I probably should have winched earlier than I did, but still...

Yeah I broke at the part you passed within the first 0.5 seconds of that video. If I'd a made it past that I probably would have been okay :hill:

nakman

11-28-2007, 05:48 PM

Yeah I broke at the part you passed within the first 0.5 seconds of that video. If I'd a made it past that I probably would have been okay :hill:

Ouch, all the way at the bottom, huh? was it this rock?

Hulk

11-28-2007, 07:01 PM

IIMO Porcupine Rim was the tougher of the trails mainly due to the "pucker factor" in spots running along the rim on uneven, off camber, sections.

I don't think you'd get much agreement on that assessment. Was Porcupine the first trail you'd ever run in Moab? You always remember that first trail being harder than it actually is. I bet if you ran it again, you'd do it with far less pucker.

You also remember the trails when you "step up" to another level. I didn't find Moab Rim to be as hard as its reputation, but Behind The Rocks gave me some serious puckerage indeed!

subzali

11-29-2007, 07:46 AM

Ouch, all the way at the bottom, huh? was it this rock?

At first I didn't think so, but now I think that yep that was the one, or whichever part of that ledge is the most protuberant - I slide to the right and ended up on the top of that, then tried to back up to get a better line and BAM!

Lack of experience, oh well...

Red_Chili

11-29-2007, 08:28 AM

I didn't find Moab Rim to be as hard as its reputation, but Behind The Rocks gave me some serious puckerage indeed!
Ditto, Moab Rim seemed like mostly a snoozer (except when a truck broke down on 'the line' on the way down and I had to go outside of him. :eek: Took a strap just for safety). Behind the Rocks, especially the first hill, scared the %%#^%(&%$ out of me having to turn left, tilting downhill badly, just above a BIG hole where if I slipped it would not be a 1 or 1.5 roll but 4x, 5x, 6x or worse... :eek: :eek:

It was good to do it but I won't do it again. Just past the line between thrilling fun and stupid fear. Good thing Joe Callegia was spotting, he is among the very best. I just looked at him and not anything else.

Uncle Ben

11-29-2007, 09:07 AM

Ditto, Moab Rim seemed like mostly a snoozer (except when a truck broke down on 'the line' on the way down and I had to go outside of him. :eek: Took a strap just for safety). Behind the Rocks, especially the first hill, scared the %%#^%(&%$ out of me having to turn left, tilting downhill badly, just above a BIG hole where if I slipped it would not be a 1 or 1.5 roll but 4x, 5x, 6x or worse... :eek: :eek:

It was good to do it but I won't do it again. Just past the line between thrilling fun and stupid fear. Good thing Joe Callegia was spotting, he is among the very best. I just looked at him and not anything else.

My least favorite obstacle in Moab is coming down White Knuckle! I would rather climb it any day! I guess I'm a control freak and letting gravity take over is not my idea of a good time!

Red_Chili

11-29-2007, 09:29 AM

Funny, I rather enjoyed White Knuckle. Good spotting, again.

Uncle Ben

11-29-2007, 10:08 AM

Funny, I rather enjoyed White Knuckle. Good spotting, again.

I'm scared of heights and coming down dropoffs always messes with my head!

I agree with you Kevin. I found the big descents to be scarier than the climbs. I had sweaty palms the entire day.

corsair23

11-29-2007, 12:52 PM

I don't think you'd get much agreement on that assessment. Was Porcupine the first trail you'd ever run in Moab? You always remember that first trail being harder than it actually is. I bet if you ran it again, you'd do it with far less pucker.

Porcupine was the first trail I had ever completed...Years ago tried Poison Spider in a stock Jeep with near bald tires and made it to just past the waterfall.

Just something about driving along a rim/ridge, off camber, where if the ass end slips you have a long way down :eek:. Maybe it was that on Fins and Poison Spider we had great spotting through any of the "tough" spots...On Porcupine most of it was just you. I think my biggest pucker was in the area where I believe Romer has a shot of him or someone with their ass end trying to slide off the rim. But heck, I puckered several times on Slaughterhouse Gulch through the off camber spots.

In the end though you are probably correct...First official Moab trail in a new to me vehicle, first trip off road, :blah: :blah: :blah:

Although Kipper and I talked after the run and he agreed that the trail seems tougher (in spots) than a 3 now. Said it seems to have deteriorated over the years.

woooody

01-01-2008, 02:41 PM

OK, newbie question -- but let's say you were going to take an FJ Cruiser, no lift, 32's... Which trails? I'm thinking Fins and things, but what would y'all recommend?

Check out the trail descriptons from Red Rock 4-Wheelers http://www.rr4w.com/pageview.aspx?menu=4422&id=16364

RockRunner

01-01-2008, 09:05 PM

You are being way to hard on yourself about breaking! Often the difference between a great line and a bad one is only a few inches over! The more you wheel the better you will be at looking like a hero by the lines you take! Can't teach that stuff on a computer or in a book! Takes time, patience and broken parts! :thumb: :thumb:

Kevin is right, a few inches here or there. The weight of your rig or the height. When Kevin and some of us ran Cliffhanger last year I changed the pressure in my tires 4 times till I got it right. What a difference, just two pounds and I made it up some ledges.

You have to look at the ratings as a guide, they aren't written in stone as said before. What your rig climbs without a problem mine may have problems with. Wheelbase can change a rating from 3 to 4 or visa versa, as can tires. You may pucker when stuck on a side hill while Kevin and I will climb before we descend. We all have our pucker factors, you just need to identify yours and apply them to the trail you plan to run. We could be driving the same rig up the same trail and the outcome could be totally different due to the line we pick or how we apply the throttle or brake.

Use the ratings as a guide and ask as many questions as you can, then decide if the trail is for you or not.

RockRunner

01-01-2008, 09:22 PM

OK, newbie question -- but let's say you were going to take an FJ Cruiser, no lift, 32's... Which trails? I'm thinking Fins and things, but what would y'all recommend?

Woooody, read my post above this one. It all depends on what you are looking for. Do you mind a scratch or two on the body or maybe a dent or two on your frame? Do you want a nice pleasure drive or one that will push you to find the right line?

Last year the FJ team took stock FJ's up Poison Spider with no damage. Great spotting and experience can make up for a stock vehicle. Your rig should have the rear locker and A-Trac, add 32" tires and you are way ahead of a "stock" rig. My advice is to go to Youtube and search for videos of other FJ's in Moab, there are a ton. See what they did and then decide if you want to do the same.

PS On our last day we did Pritchett, a FJ tagged along with us. His mods included a 3" lift, 33" tires and a front locker. With a heavy foot and little regard to damage he made the whole trail. Joe Callegia as the rest of us were duly impressed as we figured we were going to leave him at the first obstacle.

Hulk

01-02-2008, 01:27 AM

OK, newbie question -- but let's say you were going to take an FJ Cruiser, no lift, 32's... Which trails? I'm thinking Fins and things, but what would y'all recommend?

Elephant Hill, too. Is this Ross Woody?

woooody

01-02-2008, 01:31 PM

Elephant Hill, too. Is this Ross Woody?

Yup, that's me ;)

I went ahead and signed up for the "easy" ones -- Fins and Elephant. Also Chicken corners on Wed. Figure if my 6 year old tags along, I'll want to keep it mellow. She did pretty good on McGrew in the FJC, but hated Fordyce in the 40. Don't want to kill her enthusiasm.

However, should things change, I may update my run requests, if at all possible.

Thanks

wesintl

01-02-2008, 03:42 PM

I would think she would really like e-hill, The small hike to chesler park and the overlook are awesome. Same with checking out the fossils in the dry streams.

nuclearlemon

01-02-2008, 06:00 PM

fins is always a blast. only easy trail i know of that all the hardcore guys will admit is fun. it's like a little roller coaster.

woooody

01-10-2008, 11:20 AM

When do we get confirmation on which runs? I signed up for the 3, and ranked a different run #1 for each day... Just don't want to wind up on the same run 3 days in a row, ya know?

subzali

01-10-2008, 12:25 PM

Probably after registration closes, and then a couple weeks. That's my guess.

wesintl

01-10-2008, 01:05 PM

When do we get confirmation on which runs? I signed up for the 3, and ranked a different run #1 for each day... Just don't want to wind up on the same run 3 days in a row, ya know?

It's probably sometime in April depending on when it's full...

You will not get the same trail 3 days in a row or even 2 days. We aren't that crazy.

rover67

02-22-2008, 09:09 AM

i don't even remember which ones i signed up for..:dunno:

subzali

02-25-2008, 09:06 AM

Neither do I - they'll figure it out for you :p:

Rock Dog

02-29-2008, 12:28 AM

Woody, we go to great lengths to make sure people are not assigned to the same trail every day....

powderpig

03-03-2008, 05:09 PM

I am sure we could make the exception Ross. All three days on chicken corners. that will save you some fuel!!!

Rock Dog

03-07-2008, 12:58 PM

Heck he could just leave the vehicle up there the first day, and hitch a ride back up on sat and REALLY save fuel :D:D
On a serious note -- We hope to be ready to send out confirmation notices soon...